User devices connected to content delivery networks allow end users to consume content. Because such devices have limited storage capabilities, only a portion of a content item being consumed may be cached locally at any given time.
As users navigate past a predefined position within a portion of the content item, a device may retrieve the next portion of the content item and, once retrieved, may locally cache this new portion of content. For example, when a user navigates beyond a predefined channel number within a portion of an electronic program guide that has been locally cached, the device may retrieve and locally cache a subsequent set of channel listings in anticipation of a user accessing and navigating this new content portion (e.g., segment). Because the device may cache the subsequent set of channel listings by overwriting the previously stored set, users may navigate subsequent channel listings without the device having to store the entire electronic program guide in local memory.
However, this and other conventional implementations pose various problems. For instance, if a user navigates to the end of a first portion of a content item before the next portion has been retrieved and cached, the user experience may be delayed until the device retrieves the next portion of the content item. Alternatively, if the user does not navigate to the end of the first portion of a content item that has already been cached, then network bandwidth and device memory may be wasted if, for example, the device prematurely retrieves the next portion of the content item.
Accordingly, there remains a need to improve the efficiency during content access or delivery.